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sume the ungodly fires of sectarian bit terness and jealousy, and we shall have but this one rivalry of love, who shall be most zealous in the cause of God's salvation and the world's peace.

The REV. S. D. WADDY, of Sheffield, after some preliminary observations, said, Sir, it seems to have been received, although it is a most fearful conclusion, that the aboriginal population of these distant countries must of necessity fade away before the European. There is no question that the numerous causes of difference which arise between the settlers in distant lands and the inhabitants of those countries, must, except under very powerful control, sooner or later lead to war. In war the advantage is always found on the side of civilization; its arms, its skill, its perseverance. Whatever may have been, in the first instance, the real success of the invaded against the invaders, in the end the settlers have gained the ascendancy, and the population has faded away before them. The New-Zealanders have offered no exception to this hitherto fearful state of things; although it did appear, from the organized opposition that was made, that they were not likely so speedily to become victims to European encroachments as the natives of some other colonies. I am quite confident, in my own mind, that no number of examples, arising from the history of past times, in which such depopulations have taken place, will justify a Christian assembly, or Christian men, in believing that it is the intention of the Most High, that whole races of the human family should be swept away, before the approach of a more civilized people. We cannot for a moment entertain the belief, and must look on the results which have attended the colonization of these countries, as arising, not from some great necessity, but from some fearful want of a proper understanding as to the mode in which such colonization should have been commenced and continued. I most heartily participate in the expression of thanks which have already been proposed by the mover of the Resolution; and which will, no doubt, be conveyed to the distinguished individual to whom we feel indebted for his communication on the matter in question. The treaty made in 1840, which was designed to secure to the New-Zealanders the possession of their own land, while it gave up the dominion of the island to the crown of this country, was a treaty which, in the maintenance of it, was likely to promote

the best interests of that people; and to try at least for once fairly whether there could not be the introduction of an European population, and the gradual amendment of the native population, without that destruction to which I have adverted, and which we must all deplore. I am inclined to think, in reference to the heathen world, that there is one Scripture consideration which we frequently quote, but the force of which we do not admit, or else lose sight of. The heathen world is looked upon as a sort of uninclosed and uncultivated common, on which every man is at liberty to mark out a portion, which he may take to himself, and there carry out his own principles and institutions; or any number of men, forming themselves into a company, may take these unreclaimed and waste lands from their uninstructed population, appropriate them to themselves, to promote their pecuniary interests. All these views, representing the heathen world as open, as in the market, to be bought up by any speculator, leave out altogether the great scriptural truth, that the heathen world is not a saleable, not a disposable commodity; that it forms a great part in the covenant under which we dwell,-the promise that Jesus shall have the Heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession; and all schemes not based on the advancement of His glory, must sooner or later fail. It is not for us to say through what changes of war or commerce, or what philanthropic systems, other countries may have to pass before they come to their ultimate destination; but to that ultimate destination they must come. Christ has suffered for them, and to him their knees shall bow, and their tongues shall confess. I have no doubt that, if this principle were recognised, if all the attempts made in reference to these barbarous portions of the world were made upon a Christian basis, if we were to look upon Christianity not as an advantage secondarily to be introduced,-something which commerce might bring in her train, something which probably may be sown in the country after the ravages of war have subsided,-if we were to look on Christianity as the great basis, (and that is the great object of Missionary Societies and of their success, secking first the kingdom of God, and allowing other things to be added,) instead of seeking commercial advantages, and leaving Christianity to be brought in at a remote

period as a contingency doubtful and uncertain, we should see that these portions of the world might be evangelized, and might be civilized; and that there did not exist the fearful necessity of exterminating the inhabitants to make room for a Christian population. I heartily concur in the sentiment of the Resolution, which I have no doubt will be passed unanimously. In making one or two further observations, I would beg to direct your attention to the Report. I must say, that I concur mainly in the observations made by my excellent friend and brother, (Mr. Arthur,) as to the undesireableness of debt; and although I would not sound a note of discord, and express despondency where all appears to be the rejoicing of cheerful anticipation, yet I think it quite possible we may imagine we are doing more in the way of contributions than we really are. I do not suppose the items to which I refer have escaped your observation, but they have perhaps escaped serious consideration. It has been announced, that the contributions during the past year amount to £103,600. Now I have a strong conviction that, although we have heard the amount contributed for the past year, we have not given sufficient attention to that statement. labouring under the delusion, that the Wesleyan-Methodist churches of Great Britain have, during the past year, contributed £103,600 towards the conversion of the heathen world. If such be your impression, it is an erroneous one; and the error is likely to exert a paralyzing influence on your exertions during the ensuing year. If we really had raised that amount, considering our numbers, considering the many things we have to do, considering the claims of our local charities, considering the special and peculiar claims for the support of your own Ministers and the erection of your chapels and schools,-if we really had raised £103,600, there might be some ground to imagine that we had raised a tolerably fair proportion for one object.

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But we have not raised that money. If you deduct the amount contributed by foreign Stations; if you consider the amount under the head "Miscellaneous," including sums which have been returned, having been advanced on loan in other times, you will find the amount contributed is but £82,000 by the Methodist churches of Great Britain. This sum, I am confident, is not equal to the claims and necessities of the institution, nor the ob

ligations under which we are labouring ; and I feel, Sir, before we can entertain the question, whether we have or not done a fair proportion of this great work, we must go further than we have done. Let us aim, at all events, to make up the contributions in Great Britain forthwith to the sum of £100,000; and then, perhaps, we may look round and consider how much farther it is necessary to go, to fulfil our duty and quiet our consciences on this important matter. But

if a hasty consideration of the Report is calculated to give an exaggerated view of your contributions, I do not think it can present to us an adequate idea of the amount of success with which it has pleased God to bless the labours of the Society. The Report confines itself to facts; those things which can be put down as statistics, and presented in a palpable and tangible form. Your Report can present very little of the progress of sentiment and feeling. It can report any distinct case of the abandonment of idolatry, but it cannot report the process by which that abandonment has been preceded. With respect to India, the nature and constitution of society is such, that a very extensive under-current must be moving and moving long before there shall be any extensive manifestation on the surface. There must be a very wide-spread system of dissatisfaction with things matured for centuries, before any extensive departure from the old system is adopted. If, in days of old, many were Christ's disciples, "but secretly, for fear of the Jews," so in our country, and especially in others where there is not the religious freedom and liberty which we possess, there will be many secret disciples exerting more or less of influence. I would not pretend to defend that secrecy, or say that they ought not to come forth at all risks and proclaim themselves believers in the Lord Jesus; but, without presuming to judge them in this matter, without knowing the precise circumstances in which they are placed, or how much they actually have endured for the sake of Christ, there must be a very wide and extensive diffusion of the truth as it is in Jesus, before they could make any great external manifestation. We are too apt, in turning our attention to the success of Missionary operations, to confine that attention to mere details. We must have them. They cannot be prepared with too much care, or presented with too much accuracy. I should protest against any interpretation of the

The

remark I am now making, which would leave the impression that I disregard the positive success of our Missions in any department. I dare not speak slightingly of the salvation of a single soul. Our great object is to save the souls of men; and where one is saved the end is so far accomplished. And there have now passed before us, into the skies, hundreds and thousands of those who have been brought to God through the instrumentality of our Missions; and the success in their case is abundantly sufficient to warrant all you have given and done. While I would impress upon you the importance of details of positive and palpable success, I would nevertheless say, that the great success of Missionary operations should be looked at as bearing on the whole Missionary scheme, the great purpose of Jesus Christ in bringing the world to himself. The limit of our existence on earth is confined. The longer we live, and the more seriously our minds become impressed with the importance of our duties, the more we are likely to be brought under the influence of Missionary zeal. whole Christian work is not committed to this generation, nor to any distinct church. It is the work of the world's age, it is the work of the world's history, it is the great work which Jesus Christ came to perform. Only one single scene of the great drama, it may be, is that in which we are permitted to appear and play our parts; and we must pass away, and give the work, perhaps in a different form, to those who, in their generation, and with the obligations under which they are laid, shall carry it on to a greater extent, and with greater success. The question with us is, Are we, in our age, considering the work as it exists, endeavouring all we can to accomplish the purpose God has placed in our hands, and to do that part of the great work which has been assigned to us? Prophecy has predicted its triumphs, and history has recorded some of them. I was delighted with the remark of my friend, (Mr. Arthur,) that there seems to be a general impression on the minds of the men of France, that there is an overruling power, and that God has to do with these things. What is now passing is a mere instrument in the hand of God, who is overruling and guiding and regulating all things according to his will. It is not necessary that we should defend everything, and say everything is right. Is it possible, that the great foe of God shall not attempt to

throw into this movement the elements of mischief and misery? Will there not be the most constant attempt to bring that about which is erroneous and destructive, when there is a movement in which the saving of man is designed, by casting down all the barriers in the way of the progress of truth? Whatever may be the immediate aspect of particular countries of Europe, he who believes in the prophecies and declarations of God, and he who has attempted to see, in a religious light, the bearing of these things on the great religious institutions of the world, must see the hand of God in them, especially in the removal and exclusion of Popery. There can be no doubt that the vial of indignation is poured out upon Popery: whatever other result there has been, one is the uprooting of Popery, and the destruction of its power. Who could have antici

pated so glorious a thing as the banishment of the Jesuits even from Rome itself?-banished from Rome, and held up to the universal infamy of all nations, by an advocate of their own, for in no other light can I understand the expressions used by Lord Beaumont the other night in the House of Lords. He says there are but two nations, Turkey and England, in which the Jesuits can find refuge; and that we are not to judge of the Jesuits in England by the enormities they have committed in other countries. It amounts to this, that the Jesuits have been expelled from all other countries for their enormities, and that we are to attribute it to England being England, and not to themselves, that they are not as bad here as anywhere else. I concur in the remark, that England is regarded as a place of refuge and protection, and in the expression of confidence that it will remain so. It is, however, a different thing to open a door for the protection of the houseless wanderer, and to allow him to come here and plant his institutions on our soil. I regard the coming of the Jesuits with great jealousy, and feel that they ought to be subject to great watchfulness and care. Whilst on this subject, I will just make one remark with reference to Popery. I think we are much to blame in exaggerating their successes, and depreciating our own. I confess my own mind has been considerably hurt, when I have seen in the religious newspapers of the country such frequent and detailed accounts of conversions to Popery. It has been trumpeted forth as a matter of some importance, when some romantic

and poetical young persons have turned over to the Church of Rome; and the Christian church has been called on to deplore another defection, the defection of persons who are of no consequence to any body but themselves, and whose exapple no man in his senses would follow. We hear nothing of the progress of Romanism in Papal countries; but we hear of entire villages there turning from Popery to Protestantism. The converts to Protestantism from Popery are a hundred, if not a thousand, to one, as compared with converts from Protestantism to Popery. There are a few in our own country, here and there; but look at the Continent at this time. They are turning, in almost uncounted numbers, from the errors and superstitions of Popery. I would leave all the successes of Popery to be chronicled in the "Tablet" among its congenial trash; but let not the religious press of this country give a temporary dignity to the names of individuals who were destined by Providence never to escape from obscurity. I also wish to say, that I cannot exactly concur in the opinion which appears to be pretty generally received, that the abandonment of Popery, even in the Swiss cantons, and other parts of the south of Europe, is of necessity productive of infidelity. That is the notion, a notion which is by no means warranted by the mere fact, that you find infidelity where previously Popery existed. There is a great fallacy in this. Let any man look at this time at Italy; let him go to the very city of Rome; I say nothing whatever at this moment of the Swiss cantons; but I go where Popery exists in all its pride, and pomp, and power. If Popery were to be destroyed in Rome to-day, you would have a city of infidels ! Why? Because

the men have been infidels for the last century. Go through their churches, you do not find a man in their congregations, except on some of their festival

days, and then very rarely, and the numbers who do attend of the other sex are exceedingly small: they are infidels already. It is not the abandonment of Popery that makes them infidels, but it is the taking away an external and formal religion, which has been imposed upon them by political restraint and conventional usage; and when you take away that veil, you merely expose to the world what they previously were, and what had previously been hidden from your view. There may be, however, a much longer time required for the building up and establishment of a right faith, than for the destruction of a wrong one. One is speedily and easily done. Men feel the oppression of the tyranny under which they are labouring; and when the opportunity is presented to them, with one mighty heave they cast the tyranny from their shoulders. Who does not see, that you must give some time for the adoption of right principles, and the embracing of a true and correct faith? And even if it were the case, which it is not, that infidelity must of necessity succeed, it would only for a time, and that for a very short time, succeed the abandonment of Popery by those who have been led astray by it. They would embrace the truth; one truth after another would flash on their understandings; and they would rise up in the glorious liberty "wherewith Christ makes his people free." It is to my mind a great consolation, in contemplating the present state of Germany and other countries, I have a conviction on my own mind, which to me is cheering and satisfactory,-that men will, by and by, lay aside their heresies, as they have laid aside their great and leading errors; that truth will supersede falsehood; and that they will be brought, as Luther was in his day brought, to the acknowledgment of the truth as it is in

Jesus.

We are reluctantly compelled to conclude our report of this most interesting and influential Meeting. The remaining Resolutions were severally proposed and supported by the Rev. John Jaffray, Secretary of the Missionary Board of the Free Church of Scotland; Revs. Thomas Waugh, Robert Young, Thomas Jackson, John Scott, the President of the Conference, John Nelson, and John Martin; also Samuel Hill Smith, Peter Rothwell, and Thomas Farmer, Esqrs.

LONDON: PRINTED BY JAMES NICHOLS, HOXTON SQUARE.

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